President Bush’s campaign to enact his domestic agenda and win reelection next year is creating political problems for congressional Republicans. Bush, accused by Democrats of shortchanging homeland security, is blaming the GOP-controlled Congress for underfunding programs to guard against terrorism. Mr. Bush told the National Governors Association this week that Congress “did not respond to the $3.5 billion we asked for — they not only reduced the budget that we asked for, they earmarked a lot of the money” for other unrelated programs. “Tactically, that was a stupid thing for the [White House] to do,” a senior House GOP aide said yesterday. Democrats said the president’s remarks likely will be fodder for political ads in 2004 accusing House and Senate Republicans of failing to protect the homeland. The president “is saying, in effect, Republicans shortchanged homeland security,” said Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.). After reading the president’s remarks, Hoyer said he told his staff, “let’s develop this” for a campaign. Full Story
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